SilentRogue
On Time Out
I don’t know how the system works—but I feel a little skepticism. I’d think they’d need a court order—and if they’re dealing with the usual third-cousin hit on GEDmatch—I’m not sure if a judge would sign off on that sort of violation of privacy. I’m a passionate enthusiast for genetic genealogy in crime-solving, but I know it’s not as easy and certain as we might hope. And in many adoptions, the father’s identity is undocumented or uncertain—there goes half the family tree, right there.
They'd get a court order. They'd need probable cause, and a DNA of a family member is certainly probable cause. .
Here's the thing about GEDmatch. That's a non-issue. That's not an invasion of privacy. Let's take Joseph James DeAngelo, for instance. He abandoned his genetic material at a crime scene. There is no expectation of privacy. Now, a distant relative willingly submits their DNA to GEDmatch looking for a match. There is NO EXPECTATION OF PRIVACY.
It's actually easier and more certain than the public recognizes. Some states, as a matter of public policy, have disallowed the use of relative genetic material for various reasons, typically insurance rates and other non criminal matters.
However, this application is really cut and dry.
It does become a problem when you're forcing ancestry.com to give up samples, or violating terms of service, in order to get a match.